A Mac Can Run Windows, but Apple Silicon Means No Boot Camp

Yes, a Mac can run Windows, but how depends on its chip. An Intel Mac can install Windows beside macOS with Apple’s Boot Camp. A Mac with Apple silicon (M1 and later) cannot use Boot Camp, and runs Windows 11 for Arm in a virtual machine, or streams a Windows PC from Microsoft’s cloud.

Five options, side by side

Option	Which Macs	Windows it runs	Price, US list, 11 Nov	Licence	Stated limits
Boot Camp (Apple)	Intel Macs on Apple’s list, 2012 to 2020	Windows 10 Home or Pro, 64-bit	Included with the Mac	Full Windows licence	Restart to switch; Windows 10 support ended 14 Oct 2025
Parallels Desktop	Apple silicon (version 27); Intel on version 26	Windows 11 for Arm on Apple silicon	Standard $99.99 a year; Pro $119.99 a year; Business $149.99 a year (list prices; Parallels showed a sale on 11 Nov)	Not included	Arm Windows limits below; no nested virtualization
VMware Fusion	Intel and Apple silicon	Windows 11 for Arm on Apple silicon; x86 Windows on Intel	Free	Not stated on the pages we read	No x86 or older Windows on Apple silicon; shared folders for Linux guests only
UTM	Apple silicon and Intel	Arm Windows at near native speed; x86 Windows by slower emulation	Free, open source	“A valid license from Microsoft”	x86 Windows on Apple silicon defaults to one core
Windows 365 Cloud PC	M-series Macs, among other devices Microsoft names	Windows 11, streamed	Business plans $36.00, $56.00 or $108.80 per user a month	Per-user subscription	Sold to organizations; runs in Microsoft’s cloud, not on the Mac

Windows 11 Pro itself is $199.99 from Microsoft’s US store. Microsoft says Pro product keys are “platform agnostic (x64 vs Arm)”, so the same key works in an Arm virtual machine.

Intel Macs: Boot Camp

Apple’s Boot Camp page lists the Intel models it supports, among them the Mac mini from 2012 to 2018, MacBook Air and MacBook Pro from 2012 to 2020, and the iMac from 2012 to 2020. It explicitly excludes the M1 MacBook Air and the 13-inch M1 MacBook Pro of 2020. You hold the Option key at startup to choose macOS or Windows.

The catch is the version. Apple’s instructions are for 64-bit Windows 10 Home or Pro, and Microsoft ended Windows 10 support on 14 October 2025, so it no longer gets security updates. Apple’s page does not cover Windows 11.

Intel Macs can also use a virtual machine. Broadcom’s table shows Fusion running x86 Windows on Intel, including Windows XP, 7 and 8, and Parallels says Intel owners can keep using Parallels Desktop 26 because version 27 needs Apple silicon.

Apple silicon Macs: a virtual machine or the cloud

Apple silicon is an Arm chip, so Windows has to be the Arm version. Broadcom puts it plainly: on these Macs “Fusion can only run operating systems that are arm64 or aarch64 based”, and older Windows releases with no Arm version “will not function”. Parallels no longer supports Windows 10 on M-series Macs.

Microsoft’s own Mac page names two routes: a Windows 365 Cloud PC, and Parallels Desktop versions 18, 19 and 20 on “Apple M1, M2, and M3 computers”. That page has not caught up with newer chips or Parallels versions. Parallels’ store now sells version 27 and describes it as “the only solution authorized by Microsoft to run Windows 11 on Apple M-Series Macs”. Microsoft’s page does not mention M4 or later chips either way.

Free options exist. VMware Fusion became free for everyone, including commercial users, on 11 November 2024, and it has a built-in Get Windows download on Apple silicon. UTM is free and open source; its Mac App Store version has the same features and only adds automatic updates.

Windows 365 is different: Windows runs on Microsoft’s servers and streams to the Mac. Microsoft describes it as a service “for organizations of all sizes, offered on a per-user, per-month basis”, and the Business plans listed are for up to 300 users.

Because a virtual machine shares the Mac’s memory, the Mac’s RAM decides how much Windows gets, and on a current Mac mini memory cannot be added after purchase.

What does not work on Windows for Arm

Microsoft’s pages list the limits, and they apply whichever app runs the virtual machine:

• Some games. Games and apps “might not work if they rely on ‘anti-cheat’ drivers that aren’t made for Windows 11 Arm-based PCs”.
• DirectX 12. Microsoft says Arm Windows has limitations with apps that rely on DirectX 12. UTM says it supports DirectX 11 and 12 on Windows 11, and Fusion lists DirectX 11 from version 13.5, so results depend on the app and the game.
• Drivers. Hardware and software that need a driver work only if that driver is built into Windows or made for Arm. Microsoft names antivirus, printing and PDF tools, assistive technology and virtualization software among the kinds that use drivers. Extra graphics hardware is not an option either: Apple silicon Macs do not support external GPUs.
• Nested virtualization in Parallels. Windows Subsystem for Linux, Windows Sandbox and virtualization-based security are not supported there.
• 32-bit Arm apps from the Store are not supported on M1, M2 and M3 Macs. Intel Windows apps still run, through emulation.

Emulation is the same idea as Apple’s Rosetta running Intel Mac apps on Apple silicon, which Apple is winding down after macOS 27. Inside a virtual machine, though, Windows uses its own built-in emulator for Intel apps; Parallels says Rosetta cannot translate virtual machines.

If you mainly want Windows

If what you need is Windows rather than macOS, a mini PC with an Intel or AMD chip runs the standard x64 Windows, so the Arm limits above do not apply. Our mini PC shortlist compares small desktops, Windows models among them, by outlets’ published review scores.

Going the other way, from a Windows PC to a new Mac, Apple’s Windows Migration Assistant copies files, email, contacts and browser bookmarks across; our guide to moving to a new Mac lists what lands where.

Questions people ask

Can a Mac mini run Windows?

Yes, two ways depending on the chip. Apple lists Intel Mac mini models from 2012 to 2018 for Boot Camp. An Apple silicon Mac mini cannot use Boot Camp, but runs Windows 11 for Arm in a virtual machine such as Parallels, VMware Fusion or UTM, or streams a Windows 365 Cloud PC.

Does Boot Camp work on M1, M2 or M3 Macs?

No. Apple’s Boot Camp page says it requires a Mac with an Intel processor, and its model list explicitly excludes the M1 MacBook Air and 13-inch M1 MacBook Pro. Apple silicon Macs use a virtual machine or a cloud PC instead.

Can I play Windows games on a Mac?

Some. Windows for Arm emulates many Intel apps, and Fusion supports DirectX 11 graphics. Microsoft says games may not work if they rely on anti-cheat drivers not made for Arm, and Arm Windows has limits with apps that rely on DirectX 12.

Do I need to buy Windows to run it on a Mac?

Yes, for a virtual machine. Microsoft says each instance of Windows 11 Pro needs its own licence, including one in a virtual machine, and that Pro keys work for both x64 and Arm. Parallels says a Windows licence is not included; UTM says you need a valid licence from Microsoft.

Is Parallels free on a Mac?

No. Parallels Desktop is sold by subscription, with a one-time licence for the Standard Edition. VMware Fusion and UTM are free. Microsoft’s support page names Parallels as an authorized way to run Windows 11 on M1, M2 and M3 Macs.

Can I move my Windows virtual machine from an Intel Mac to an Apple silicon Mac?

Not directly. Parallels says a virtual machine created on an Intel Mac cannot be used on a Mac with Apple silicon, and recommends creating a new Arm-based one and moving your data across.